1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates in general to sheet material suspension devices, and in particular to an apparatus for the suspension and tension of fabric for the purpose of hand dyeing and painting.
2. Description of Related and Prior Art
In the field of hand dyed fabrics, free flowing dyes are applied by hand, with brushes, primarily to silk, in various original patterns. Although the dyes may be thickened, in the preferred technique, a characteristic "watercolor" look is desirable. This requires special handling of the fabric. The material must be horizontal, so the flow of the dye on the surface is regular and controllable. If the fabric to be dyed is laid loosely on a worktable, the applied dye will run along the irregularities and folds created by the loose fabric. The solution is to stretch the material taut.
In art forms such as oil painting, pigments are applied to an impermeable surface such as primed canvas, and the back of the canvas remains dry. When dye is applied to a material, the liquid permeates the fabric, so if it touches any object when wet, the dye will transfer through the fabric to the object. This produces a noticeable defect called "mark off", which spoils the design. The solution is to suspend the fabric above the work surface.
Another potential problem arises from the fact that silk for hand dyeing is generally available in the form of pre-hemmed silk scarves. It is imperative that the dyer be able to apply color all the way to the edge of the hem without any impediment to the brush from the apparatus which holds it taut and suspended. In addition, the support frame should not touch the hem of the wet fabric at any point, as the dye then will run between the fabric and the edge of the frame, again causing inappropriate "mark off".
One solution to these problems which I have attempted has been to pin the hem of the scarf to the extreme edge of a wood frame with push pins. The problem that results is that the material slackens and subsequently drops after being wetted with the dye, so the center of the scarf touches the work table, causing "mark off". The push pins as well as the frames must then be re-positioned, which is inconvienent.
Another problem with push pins is that the heads of the pins extend above the surface of the fabric, hindering the free movement of the brush as it passes over the hem. If the brush touches a push pin, the dye can accumulate at the point where the brush touches the pin, and the excess dye must be blotted quickly by the dyer to avoid spoiling the design. Another problem is that dye tends to collect on the under surface of the push pin from the wet fabric, causing "mark off", which necessitates cleaning the pin after every scarf dyed.
Another attempted solution is embodied in a frame currently in distribution which utilizes rows of upturned pins attached to bars along two opposite sides of the frame. These bars are clamped with adjustable pressure to another pair of bars without pins which form the other two sides. The bars with pins are slid along the other bars to tension the fabric. The problem here is that users have reported injury from the upturned pins and the clamp device can comes apart under tension. The fabric must be applied to the pins with a special brush, and the upturned pins leave many holes in the material. Any attachment should always be placed in the hem of the material where the resulting small perforations will not show. With this frame it is difficult to align a hemmed scarf on the many pins so that all are placed in the hem of the material. The standard brush which dyers use is made of foam, and another problem is that the upturned pins catch the brush as it passes over them.